Italy’s Ufomammut have been mixing doom and psychedelia for 25 years straight, and their time-tested formula is in tasty form on their new album Hidden. At this point, they’re up there with Sleep and Electric Wizard as far as trad-doom consistency goes, and they’re just as necessary for psych fans as they are for metalheads. The new album officially comes out Friday (5/17) via Neurot Recordings in the US and Supernatural Cat in Europe, but we’re premiering a full stream one day early, along with a track-by-track breakdown from vocalist/bassist Urlo and guitarist Poia. Stream the LP and read on for what they had to say…
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TRACK-BY-TRACK BREAKDOWN OF HIDDEN BY UFOMAMMUT
1. “Crookhead” (Poia)
It’s the song we’ve decided to put in an alternative version on the eponymous (Crookhead) EP released in 2023. This is the original, extended album version, conceived with vocals and the drum tail.
2. “Kismet” (Urlo)
“Kismet” represents the divine destiny predetermined by God for us, it embodies the concept of fate and what lies ahead for us. “Kismet” is one of the most profound tracks on the album, delving into the journey of life itself. Like cascading waterfalls reaching for the sky, or droplets ascending towards the sun only to dissipate into the vast universe, our existence moves steadily through time, emanating light and energy that permeates our surroundings. This song encapsulates the essence of the album, distinct from Fenice, which is characterized by monumental riffs yet infused with ethereal atmospheres that redefine our yearning for psychedelia.
3. “Spidher” (Poia)
“Spidher” is a lopsided and crushing entity, the most recent song we composed right before entering the studio.
4. “Mausoleum” (Urlo)
“Mausoleum,” the longest track on the album, captures a slow and mysterious pace that mirrors the text’s comparison of human beings to mausoleums. Just as a mausoleum stands as an important monument and timeless wonder, so too is the human body described as a vessel for our ashes.
5. “Leeched” (Poia)
“Leeched,” the first song from the new full-length album Hidden, perfectly represents the new direction of Ufomammut, which began with the album Fenice and continued with the EP Crookhead and reiterates once again that there are no failures or hesitations in our sonic research. The fusion between heaviness and psychedelia, an obsession of the band since the beginning, takes on a new, changing form in “Leeched.”
6. “Soulost” (Poia)
It’s the most “meditative” track on Hidden. It was just an end fragment that became a proper song during the recording sessions.